


The Pendragon Initiative

by WaitingForArthur



Category: Merlin (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, BBC Merlin Fest, BBC Merlin Fest Team Arthur, Blood, Crossover, One Shot, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-21 15:24:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1555148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaitingForArthur/pseuds/WaitingForArthur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A group of scientists find Arthur's body and perform experiments on him to bring him back.  Little did they know their experiments would effect Arthur to the point where he can control fire, have super strength, and know Merlin's exact location by merely thinking about him.  Oh, and only he can wield Excalibur in a way that can bring down enemies and thwart magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pendragon Initiative

**Author's Note:**

> This little one-shot is for the BBC Merlin Fest day 7 Crossover prompt!
> 
> Dedicated to Team Arthur...For the love of Camelot!!!!

Arthur looked down at his hands; his clean, unscathed hands.

The street around him was charred and upended, but he barely had a scratch on him.  The people around him stared at the scene before them.  Flames flickered along the road, cars were blasted away from the street, and only a few yards away from Arthur, was the tall tell sign of an explosion in a concentrated area.

When did he become this _monster_?

Arthur was unable to move and he shook with the residual energy that pulsed inside him, waiting to be used again.  His heart was racing and sweat dripped from his brow. Despite the fact that everyone was now clapping or cheering, Arthur only wanted to get away, to leave and never show his face again.

Only one thing could keep him grounded, keep him sane.

“Arthur?”

The voice calmed him and as he slowly brought his head up to look at Merlin, all his desires to flee were gone and all he wanted to do was fall into Merlin’s arms and hold him.

“Arthur, we have to go. You took down one, but the worst is yet to come. Come on,” Merlin whispered, wrapping his bruised and battered hand around Arthur’s bicep.  His eyes widened with fear, he didn’t want to do this anymore. He didn’t want to use these _powers_ again.  But at the thought of more danger, of Merlin bloodied and dying, the shame of his abilities was masked only by the sense of duty…his oath to protect those he loved.

He nodded, “Don’t leave my side,” he said, wrapping a protective arm around Merlin.

They ducked into the crowd, avoiding the pleas of the people for Arthur to stop and be congratulated.  Just as they approached the glass doors of The Shard, the ground shook and the sound of screaming filled the air.  Arthur had a moment to look back and see people scattering, their cheering turning into screams of help.

Arthur didn’t hesitate, they didn’t have time.  He pulled Merlin close to him, hooked his arm under his legs, and scooped him up. 

“Arthur! Put me down, you don’t have to carry me, I can walk!”

“Don’t be an idiot, Merlin.”

“But—Arthur watch out!” Merlin buried his face in Arthur’s neck as the windows shattered, showering them with glass.

Arthur had only seconds to decide what he was going to do.  He could run up the stairs, he’d have the stamina…

He decided to take the elevator and throw off the enemy.  He made a dash for the elevator doors and frantically pushed the button.

“The elevator?! Arthur are you crazy?”

  
“Shut up, Merlin.”

“But—“

“Merlin, please, trust me?”  He looked to Merlin with pleading eyes.  All he wanted was for Merlin to be safe.  Merlin must know that he would do anything to save him.  After all, Merlin risked everything to save him once before…

The doors dinged open and Arthur rushed inside.  He gently put Merlin down and pushed the button for the top floor.  As the elevator closed and began its ascent, Arthur turned to examine the damaged that was inflicted on Merlin.  Despite Merlin’s earlier statement that he could walk, he was leaning against the mirrored walls of the elevator.  There was so much blood…Arthur didn’t know where to begin.

“Merlin—“

Merlin waved him off, “I’m fine, Arthur, I’m fine. Just…get us out of here, yeah?”  He looked exhausted, but he was right.  The sooner Arthur got them out of there, the sooner Merlin would be safe.

He looked at the floor number, they were halfway up. Arthur punched the emergency stop button.  When the elevator stopped, he took a deep breath and pried open the doors.  He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the doors leading to the 15th floor.  Again, he pried open these doors and quickly turned to Merlin, “Let’s go, Merlin.  Can you pull yourself up?”

“I can try,” He answered, taking Arthur’s hand.  Arthur helped him by boosting him up.  Once Merlin was out of the way, Arthur followed.  Before running off down the hall, he reached in and hit the button for the elevator to keep going.

When he turned around, Merlin was no longer standing, but sitting against the wall, his eyes were closed and he was wincing in pain.

Arthur crouched down and cupped Merlin’s face in his hands, “Merlin, hey, we’re almost there. Stay with me.”  Merlin grunted and Arthur took that as a sign of acknowledgement.  He lifted Merlin and carefully slung him over his left shoulder.

He made if halfway down the hallway when he heard an earsplitting crash behind him.  With a quick glance over his shoulder, he saw a giant hole in the side of the building.  They had found him.  The only thing he could do was turn and fight. 

Finding a small alcove for Merlin, he laid him there and whispered, “I’ll be right back for you Merlin, I promise.”  He gave him a swift kiss on his forehead and turned to face his opponent.

Morgause stood in the middle of the broad, sleek hallway.  Her blonde curls blowing in the cool wind.  It had started raining and the inside of the building was becoming more and more slippery with each step that Arthur took.

“Arthur Pendragon,” she cooed, “It’s been _years_ since I’ve seen you.  Tell me, how was eternity in Avalon?”

He shook with rage.  Avalon was something he didn’t want to think about; something that reminded him of forever without Merlin.  Arthur answered her with a raised hand, aiming to blast her back, but she was quicker.

“Oh no you don’t.”  All she had to do to send Arthur spiraling backwards was cast an unspoken spell.  He crashed into a large, glass desk, the pain of the impact lasting only mere seconds before he hauled himself up.  With the memory muscle of a hundred battles, Arthur withdrew the sword that hung from his modern belt.  With a flick of his wrist, he brandished the sword, twirling it in front of him.  He felt the powerful energy of the sword vibrating against his skin.

Excalibur had always been a strong sword.  The balance was always perfect, the grip was comfortable, and it brought down many enemies.  In anyone else’s hands, Excalibur would feel awkward or not right for the beholder, but in Arthur’s hands, it was the greatest sidekick on the battlefield.

Arthur charged towards Morgause, a new wave of confidence pulsing through him.  Morgause shot a stream of green lightning towards him, but Excalibur cut through it with a sharp _zing_.  Arthur took this chance to use his new powers, the powers that haunted him at night.  He could build cities with these powers, but he could destroy them just the same.

He flicked his wrist and ball of fire formed in the palm of his hand and he threw it at Morgause.  She blocked it with a wave of her hand, but her eyes were now wide with shock, “So, our little prince has magic?”

“No…not magic,” he growled.  He conjured another fireball in his hand and instead of letting it sit, he twisted his hand until the fire started forming into a long rope that wrapped around his hand and created a whip like tail that curled in the air.  He threw his arm towards Morgause and the fire whip flicked out and wrapped itself around the sorceress.  She struggled against it, her eyes flashing gold over and over, but nothing happened.  The whip held firm. 

Arthur tugged on his end of the whip and Morgause fell to the ground.  With his grip tight on both fire and steel, Arthur marched forward.  He knelt down in front of Morgause and grabbed a handful of her hair.  He yanked her up to meet his face.

“Go ahead,” she sneered, “Kill me.  But know this Arthur Pendragon, my sister _will_ return and she _will_ seek revenge.”

Arthur tilted his head, “Do me a favor will you? Tell her I’ll be waiting. Tell her I can fight back now.”  He plunged his sword into her chest.  Her scream split through the air like lightning as his sword injected her with the heat and energy of hot magma.  Arthur could feel the heat radiating off of her as her body burned from the inside out.  Blood trickled from the corners of her mouth and eyes before she burst into flames and disintegrated in Arthur’s hands. 

Arthur stumbled backwards, breathing heavily, the sweat pouring down his brow.  He wiped it away and sheathed his sword.  His heart began to race as he remembered Merlin tucked away around the corner.

He slid and slipped on the rain wet floor as he reached Merlin.  His eyes were closed and he was much paler against the shock of black hair and red blood. “Merlin,” he said, choking past the lump in his throat. “No…you’re not going to do this to me.”

Arthur bent down and scooped up him, whispering words of reassurance, “I’ll keep you safe, Merlin. I promise.”

~o0o~

Arthur sat in a chair next to Merlin’s hospital bed.  Tubes ran out of Merlin’s mouth and veins, helping him to breath, keeping him alive.  The beeping of the monitors was a distant background noise as Arthur watched the steady rise and fall of Merlin’s chest.

How could he have been so stupid as to let Merlin out of his sight for _one second_ while villains like Morgause and Cenred ran around London seeking revenge for their deaths? At first it had been Morgause and Cenred against each other.  They ruined the stunning architecture of Piccadilly Circus, set Trafalgar Square on fire, and almost toppled Tower Bridge.

They had both been easy to bring down, because they didn’t know what Arthur could do now.  What he wished he _couldn’t_ do.  Sure, he saved lives, but with these new skills… _powers_ …came a great consequence.  He would be seen as a threat to any military in any country, any villain in any world, living or dead. 

Merlin would always be in danger too.  Before they even knew Arthur had returned, they had captured Merlin and tortured him, brought him to the brink of death.  The price Arthur had to pay was watching him struggle to stay alive.

Arthur hadn’t notice the stranger enter the private room, but when he glanced up to check the time, he saw him standing in the doorway.  He rose on instinct, his hand curled, ready to create the fire that burned inside him.  The stranger didn’t flinch, he merely watched Arthur with an emotionless stare.

Who was this man? Everything about him screamed sorcerer.  His entire outfit was black, from his jumper to his boots.  He even wore a long black overcoat that hung to his ankles, but what really made Arthur suspicious of this stranger’s appearance was the black eye patch he wore over his left eye.

“Who are you?” Arthur asked. His voice was surprisingly loud in the small room after hours of not speaking.

The stranger was silent for a moment before he took a few steps forward, “Arthur Pendragon, how does it feel to be back in the world again?”

Arthur cocked his head to the side, “How do you know my name?”

“I know more than you think.  The scientists that brought you back from the dead? They work for me.”

“You—you work for S.H.I.E.L.D.? I’ve never seen you before.”

The stranger chuckled, “Well no, you probably haven’t.”

“Then why are you here? I’m not too fond of what S.H.I.E.L.D. has done to me, so your reason better be worth my time.”

The stranger rounded the bed and stood before Arthur, “Oh trust me, you’ll find that those powers of yours will be very useful in our fight against your sister.”

Arthur blinked, “My sister? But she’s—“

“Dead. Yes, and so were you. So was Cenred and Morgause, but apparently things that should be dead are coming back to life…and we need your help.”

“My help? Surely you have the means to bring down my sister.  You had it to give me these powers.”

The stranger narrowed his one eye at Arthur, “Arthur…S.H.I.E.L.D. brought you back because _you_ are the only weapon we have against Morgana. It’s your destiny.”

Arthur was silent.  How many times has he heard that line?  He failed the last time he had a destiny.  He failed Merlin.  Arthur glanced down at the man he loved.  He gently took Merlin’s hand in his, his thumb stroking Merlin’s bruised knuckles.  He couldn’t afford to lose him.  He was about to tell the stranger to leave when he felt the weight of the man’s hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

“Arthur, you wouldn’t be alone.  You would have help. It’s called the Avengers Initiative, and I would like you to be a part of it.”

Arthur looked up at the stranger.  Anger boiled in him, did this man really think he could bribe Arthur—

He stopped himself from shouting at the man when he felt pressure on his fingers.  Arthur whipped his head around and let out a soft sob.  Merlin’s bright blue eyes were opened and he was looking right at Arthur. He leaned down and ran a hand through Merlin’s raven hair and kissed his forehead.

“Ar—thur…”

“No, shh, baby, don’t speak.” 

Merlin shook his head, “Listen…prat.” Arthur smiled, at least he was still the same old Merlin. “You have—a chance, to protect me, to avenge your death,” he said through raspy breaths, “Take that chance…for me?” Merlin smiled and reached up to wipe away the tears that sat on Arthur’s cheek.

His heart constricted in his chest.  Merlin was right…he needed to protect Merlin and the only way to do that was to defeat Morgana and whatever she threw his way.  Arthur kissed Merlin on the cheek and stood to face the stranger again.

The man waited patiently for Arthur’s reply, “Okay…I’ll do it. I’ll do it for Merlin.”


End file.
